WHY YOUR SCALE IS A DIRTY LITTLE LIAR – A PERSONAL RANT

Okay, not so much a rant. More of a cautionary tale.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been making a concentrated effort on my health and nutrition. I’ve been following the 80/20 rule (and sometimes this ends up being more like 70/30), watching my portions, and doing a LOT more walking since the weather has been so nice lately – with the exception of a few massive storms and tornadoes (IYKYK).

This morning, I was curious to see what the scale had to say. Most of the time I DON’T go with my scale. I go by how my clothes fit, my energy levels, how my body feels (and I mean that literally with a massage therapy background). But this morning I wanted to know what THE NUMBER was.

And to my dismay, the scale had gone up a few pounds.

Wait. WHAT?!?!

How in the world was that possible??? I’ve been doing everything “right” – healthy foods, limited junk food, portion control, plenty of water, more movement/walking. My clothes are still fitting loose, and some even MORE so. Energy has been decent. How did this happen?

Hence the title of this post – Your Scale is a Dirty Little Liar.

Here’s why.

Once my emotions were settled and my logical coaching brain was able to get a word in over the mental chatter, I went over all the reasons WHY the scale is NOT the most reliable judge of weight, or body composition ratio.

Number one – Hormones. For women, depending on where you are in your monthly cycle or where you are in your season of life (perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause, etc.) your weight can fluctuate pretty drastically. That can be because of actual weight gain, it can be because of loss of lean muscle mass, it can be because of water retention. Fluctuations in your hormones even on a WEEKLY basis can mess with the number on the scale.

Number two – Water Retention. It gets its own category (and should probably be number one) because there are also a LOT of factors that can cause your body to retain water. Excess sodium, not drinking ENOUGH water, sitting or standing for too long, not enough movement, hormones, pre/current/post-menstruation, etc. Your weight can shift on a week-by-week basis because of water retention, and even on a DAILY basis because of it.

Number three – Shifting Body Composition Ratios. If you’ve been doing all the “right” things: eating healthy, exercising, drinking water, getting plenty of sleep; and the scale has actually gone up instead of down, your body might be building muscle. This will TEMPORARILY cause an uptick on the scale because of the shift in lean muscle to fat mass ratio. So, while you may be losing inches, your clothes fitting looser, and feeling more energetic, the scale could be “lying” to you by telling you you’re “gaining” weight. Eventually, as the ratio continues to shift, the number on the scale WILL go down as more fat is burned as fuel to maintain your new, lean muscle mass.

Number four – Sleep. I don’t think sleep gets enough attention for just how much it can affect your weight. Or more specifically, affect the hormones that regulate metabolism, appetite, stress levels, and energy levels. Not getting enough sleep can slow down your metabolism, it can increase your appetite, stress hormones can cause your body to hold on to fat instead of burning it efficiently, and lower energy levels can reduce the length and intensity of exercise or simply how much more movement you get during your day (ex. Instead of playing with the kids, cooking dinner and doing the dishes, you crash on the couch with takeout and a movie).

So.

All of this is just to say, the scale does NOT always tell the truth. In fact, the scale can be quite the little liar. Whether it’s a blatant lie (you’re holding excess water weight because of your period and extra salt with dinner last night, but you didn’t actually “gain weight”); a lie of omission (did the scale not tell you that your hormones are fluctuating and slowing down your metabolism because you haven’t gotten enough sleep because of a sick child?); or twisting the facts (you are gaining lean muscle mass while also burning fat and your body composition is shifting rather than simply “gaining” more weight); the scale is NOT a reliable source of information.

It can give you a “ballpark” estimation of where you’re at, but there are many, MANY variables to keep in mind. The scale can be off by several pounds, and it will change weekly, if not daily.

Keep doing your healthy habits – nutritious foods, stay hydrated, more movement, reduce your stress, plenty of sleep – and the scale will eventually be FORCED to tell the truth. You’re doing the “right” things to improve your health and manage your weight, and the scale won’t be the only way to tell how far you’ve come. In fact, it will probably be the LAST indicator you use to measure your progress.

And if you would like to learn more about building healthy habits and creating sustainable weight loss, Book a FREE Consultation call.